Quintiles signs strategic-level deal with Biogen Idec

Will work together on improving research efficiency

Quintiles has signed a high-level agreement contract to revitalise clinical development at Biogen Idec over the next five years.

Under the terms of the deal, Quintiles has been given the objective of increasing the efficiency of clinical development at Biogen Idec and will site a dedicated team at the biopharmaceutical company to work on the design, planning and execution of phase II-IV studies, as well as a few phase I trials.

New projects will automatically be taken on by the collaboration, while some ongoing studies will also be swapped over to the contract research organisation (CRO).

Strategic level collaborations of this nature have been a primary focus for the larger outsourcing companies in recent years, and a driver for consolidation in the sector as firms have tried to amass the breadth and scale to service contracts of this size.

Quintiles does not appear to have an exclusive arrangement with Biogen Idec but it is among its main contractors, and the shift towards a more consultative role - rather than simply picking up contracts for studies - reflects an understanding that CROs need to add more value to the drug development process.

Quintiles chief executive Tom Pike said the deal "exemplifies the ongoing evolution of drug development collaboration" and the role that CROs have in the process, adding: "We are extremely excited about this agreement and the increased interest we are seeing for these types of innovative development deals."

This is not the first strategic-level deal signed by Quintiles. Shortly after going public last year, the CRO signed a similar (but exclusive) five-year deal with Merck Serono that will also give it an advisory as well as operational role in the direction of the pharma company's clinical development programmes.

"It was important for us to identify a strong clinical development partner to complement our focus on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative, hematologic and autoimmune diseases," said Alfred Sandrock, Biogen Idec's chief medical officer.

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